SAP LE-TRA Sunset: Your Strategic Roadmap to SAP Transportation Management (TM)

Many SAP-centric organizations are finalizing their path to SAP S/4HANA because of the impending end-of-life for legacy SAP systems. For supply chain professionals, this urgency centers on transportation management, where the widely used Logistics Execution – Transportation (LE-TRA) module is being replaced by the modern SAP S/4HANA Transportation Management (TM). This transition represents a major change facing many SAP-oriented companies that rely on LE-TRA.

While LE-TRA remains available under a compatibility scope for SAP S/4HANA temporarily, usage rights will expire on December 31, 2030. Additionally, maintenance of SAP ECC 6.0 will be discontinued on December 31, 2027. According to logistics experts at cbs Corporate Business Solutions and leogistics, this firm deadline forces a critical strategic decision: choosing the right TM edition for the future.

The Core Differentiator: Basic vs. Advanced TM

The path forward requires a precise analysis and SAP TM is available in two key licensing tiers: Basic and Advanced. According to logistics partners cbs Corporate Business Solutions and leogistics, the decision between them hinges on an organization’s need for process automation, complexity handling, and integration scope. The synergy between cbs and leogistics is a key differentiator, ensuring customers have concentrated expertise for navigating these complex logistics and transformation projects.

SAP TM Basic

• Target: Primarily intended for shippers.
• Functionality: Basic licenses largely mirror LE-TRA functionality.
• Automation: Requires manual transportation planning and manual carrier selection.
• Licensing: Covered by regular SAP S/4HANA licenses.

SAP TM Advanced

• Target: For both shippers and freight-forwarders.
• Functionality: Advanced licenses are for customers who want to achieve automation and improvement in processes, cost savings, and time efficiency.
• Automation: Offers automated carrier selection and tendering.
• Licensing: Requires additional TM engine licenses.

This feature analysis paints in broad strokes and licensing boundaries are subtle. Companies can refer to SAP Note 3065464 for a precise definition of which functions require the Advanced license.

Deployments and the Rise of SAP Logistics Management

SAP Transportation Management (SAP TM) is designed for middle-sized to large companies that require complex logistics capabilities. The SAP S/4HANA landscape enables the seamless, end-to-end integration of SAP TM and SAP Extended Warehouse Management (EWM). Deployment options offer high flexibility. On-premise, you can deploy TM either embedded directly within the SAP S/4HANA system (in-stack) for tight integration, or as a decentralized setup (side-by-side) where a single TM system connects to multiple other ERPs.

Introduction of SAP Logistics Management (LGM)

In October 2025, SAP introduced SAP Logistics Management (LGM) to specifically address the needs of smaller to mid-sized companies requiring integrated, sufficient systems. SAP LGM is designed as a unified solution, essentially combining the essential features of SAP TM, SAP EWM, and the SAP Logistics Business Network (LBN). This new module is exclusively integrated with SAP Cloud ERP Private (PCE), ensuring a simplified, unified cloud experience for smaller enterprises.

What This Means for SAPinsiders

LGM mandates two-tiered evaluation for SAPinsiders. The requirements create a natural choice between SAP TM (mid-to-large complexity) and new SAP Logistics Management (LGM) (small-to-mid-sized complexity). LGM’s blend of SAP TM, SAP EWM, and SAP LBN simplifies cloud decisions and impacts project scope, including license management.

Advanced SAP TM is key to unlocking necessary process automation. Executives must identify processes, like automated planning and carrier selection, that justify the Advanced TM license. Partnering with cbs and leogistics is a credible option for a precise gap analysis to avoid unplanned costs.

The digital core shifts roles towards centralized monitoring. Day-to-day work transitions from transaction processing to monitoring via control tower concepts and optimization of yard and time window management. Adopting these tools ensures real-time data flow, creating the agile logistics infrastructure required for volatile markets.